Fire breaks out at Sealdah railway station in Kolkata

Kolkata: A fire broke out at Sealdah railway station’s main building today afternoon causing panic among staff and passengers and affecting train operations.

The fire started around 2.45 pm near the Railway Guards’ Lobby in the building that houses all important wings of the station right from ticket booking counters to restrooms.

Witnessing the flames, railway authorities alerted the fire brigade. Power supply to the platforms was suspended as a precaution. Four fire-tenders arrived one by one from 2.58 pm and managed to douse the fire in about 30 minutes.

No passenger or staff has been injured in the fire but it led to disruption in train operations for a while on both Sealdah North and South sections. Eastern Railway authorities, however, claimed that there was hardly any disruption in train services.

Prima facie, an electrical short-circuit is believed to have caused the fire but the fire services department will conduct an inquiry to ascertain the exact reason. Alarmingly, several fire incidents have recently been reported in railway establishments under Eastern Railway jurisdiction. A railway track in Asansol division had caught fire only yesterday.

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